Vectrix Down Under - whats happening in New Zealand and Australia?

Was any Vectrix ever built in the USA?

Despite being unhappy with the range on the vectrix (normally around 35km with "normal" riding style), the thing that has caused me most concern is the indiscriminate "canbus" errors.

It was these errors that caused me to buy a ICE bike, as for normal commuting I was too concerned to be left "out there" in the middle of traffic with a non-responsive bike.

I have recently started riding the vectrix again (better weather), but I limit my rides to outside peak hours to limit any damage a canbus error can cause.

Did the dealer not fix it for you? You seem to live "relatively close" (for Australian standards) to them.

Was the firmware ever properly reinstalled or updated?

Two weeks now since this Vectrix sold on ebay in Australia:
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170383668054&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

No feedback provided, yet. That will be interesting!

interesting,

i bought one, and am organising pickup this week.
That ebay seller is run by a salesman for vectrix Australia.

they still have quite a collection in their warehouse from what i hear.

Matt

Ah, very good!

mik, i haven't left feedback because i haven't picked it up yet, 300kms away from the bike takes a little organising. so far so good though. good communication, pleasant and helpful.

Matt, I'm shooting for a wednesday morning pick up, maybe i'll bump into you :)

cheers

jason

Even better, I did not register that you bought that Vetrix, thought you were in the USA!

I was wondering how I could get in contact with the buyer, and now there are two!

interesting,

i bought one, and am organising pickup this week.
That ebay seller is run by a salesman for vectrix Australia.

they still have quite a collection in their warehouse from what i hear.

Matt

That is really great that you have a Vectrix to play with (soon, anyway)!

I can't wait!

As you are aware of all the imbalance and long storage problems which are likely, I hope you will take the battery apart before you ride the VX-1 much.
I would! There is a good chance that you will be able to resurrect the cells if you charge them slowly until they are all full. Or even better, get an automatic charger / discharger and cycle them all a few times whilst you put together the BMS.

You will then also know if the battery rework has been done. If it has not been done, then you risk a fire during riding or charging.

On the ebay photos it looked like there are many still unopened boxes with Vectrixes in them. They were possibly bought before the worldwide battery recall. Each battery rework takes several hours, probably at least half a day including taking the bike out of the box, packing it up and storing it again. And that is if you know what you are doing!

You need a torque wrench (or maybe you are the type with calibrated wrists???) to check if it's already done. Maybe the Vectrix techs here can tell you if the braided connectors look any different before and after the rework.

Here is how to check it: (After taking the battery out with full precautions: Wear gloves and goggles and wrap tools in electrical tape etc.; disconnect blue Andersons connector first and don't touch the temp sensor board of the front battery with it's unfused, resistorless tabs to 1, 28 and 86!!!)

Set torque wrench to 3 Nm and try to loosen the Inter-Module-Connectors (IMCs). Try the Inter-cell-connectors (ICCs) at that setting, too. Gradually increase the torque wrench setting up to the 10Nm at which the screws should come loose if they are as firmly tightened as they should. In the Vectux battery, all ICCs were tight, and the IMCs were all loose, some came off at 3 to 4 Nm!

When you eventually put the modules together again, leave a day for each layer in the battery and torque the IMCs to 10Nm repeatedly. Or maybe add a bigger washer to spread the load to stop them from being squished flat; that is what caused the loosening. The ends of the IMCs flatten over time under the pressure from the bolt.

More details here: https://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=121030#p121030

On the ebay photos it looked like there are many still unopened boxes with Vectrixes in them. They were possibly bought before the worldwide battery recall.

Worldwide battery recall?? What was that? Since mine came out of one of those crates earlier this year I assume, I am curious. My dealer has pulled my batteries apart and all the cells look healthy and seemed to hold correct voltage. The QA label says they were "conditioned" 29 june 07. Mileage is slightly healthier at around 45k's.

Cheers

Holding correct voltage means next to nothing. Cells with less than 2/3 capacity (20Ah) hold their voltage even under load, until it drops sharply when they are empty.

The recall was announced in April 2008. I don't know how a "reworked battery" is marked or how to be sure, other than the torque wrench test above.

I made a web-enquiry via the OMNI Management website about Australian warranty claims:

Original question posted:

How do Australian owners make a claim?

Answer:

Thank you for your inquiry. I will forward this inquiry on and will
provide an answer later this week.

Further question by me, this time email:

Hi Xxxxx,

thank you very much for your speedy reply!

Please excuse my rather rude and short message left at the website, quoted below, byt there was some malfunction on the website, it would not let me write any longer message than those few words. You might want to look into that.

It said something like: "Message length 5-5000" as the error message, but would not allow it.

So. to get to the point, here is what I wanted to ask:

Can the Australian Vectrix Scooter owners be considered if they file a "Proof of claim form?

Australian owners have been unable to obtain warranty work for quite a while and there might be a considerable number of claims.

It is however difficcult for a lay person to understand what is happening between Vectrix USA and Vectrix Australia, apparently there are ongoing court proceedings in the Australian High Court.

Any help to clarify this would be greatly appreciated!

[Mr. Mik]

The reply:

If you believe you have a claim based on the warranty that you received when you purchased your Vectrix bike, you are entitled to make a claim in the bankruptcy case. The procedures proposed in our motion apply equally to all purchasers of Vectrix scooters. We are requesting that the deadline to submit such claims be set for January 5, 2010.

Unfortunately, because we are counsel to the Debtor in this case, we cannot provide you with legal advice. We would suggest that you consult with an attorney if you have an further questions.

Best Regards,
Xxxxx

Mik,

The information provided to you by OMNI is incorrect. It would be correct if VA had ceased to exist, but where the distributor continues to exist all your warranty issues exist between you and VA. If you have a claim, you must make it through VA, since VA is still the distributor and VUS fund can only recognise claims supported by a distributor as opposed to a dealer. i would suggest you put your claim in writing to the registered office of VA, which is 3 Avoca St, South Yarra VIC 3142.

Thanks, Marcopolo!

Has anyone any further information about the situation reagrding Vectrix Warranty in Australia and New Zealand?

There are promises being made for UK/Ireland and Europaean riders, and the deadline to claim warranty damages in the bancruptcy proceedings in the USA is in early January.

I had a look at my warranty booklet today: No mention of Vectrix Australia in it, whatsoever. It's Vectrix USA that is mentioned as the warranty provider!

Has anyone been given at least any promises or intention to provide warranty work statements from Vectrix Australia lately?

Or have they explained to anyone that they do not provide warranty work and parts, and why?

There are multiple Australian (and probably NZ) owners with damaged VX-1s, pre-dating the bancruptcy date.

Are they only entitled to a warranty claim if Vectrix Australia happens to go batting for them?

Has anyone tried to put in a warranty claim through Vectrix Australia and has been told that they have forwarded it to the relevant authorities?

How many Australian Vectrix owners are there, and how many VX-1s have been sold in Australia/NZ?